Energy and Environmental Impacts of Potential Application of Fully or Partially Electric Propulsion Vehicles: Application to Lisbon and São Miguel, Portugal

The transportation sector has been one of the fastest growing sectors resulting in a high final energy consumption in Portugal (40% in 2011), with road transportation sector being responsible for 82% of that energy consumption. As a result, alternative vehicle technologies such as electric vehicles are becoming increasingly important since they may contribute to greater energy efficiency. However, their electric autonomy limitations influence the mobility paradigm, making their acceptance dependent on the location and context of driving. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize mobility patterns and compare the potential application of fully or partially electric propulsion vehicles in two different Portuguese contexts: the Lisbon region (city pattern) and the Island of São Miguel, Azores, Portugal (rural pattern). This characterization was performed by on road monitoring of 9 drivers in Lisbon and 17 drivers in Sao Miguel. São Miguel drivers are those which have a more suitable pattern for using alternative vehicles comparably to the Lisbon region, since they travel about 47% less than the Lisbon population (33 km daily compared to 62 km per day) and, consequently, having a charging time availability about 30% higher. The São Miguel population also has greater presence in lower vehicle specific power (VSP) modes, with an average speed 25% lower than the Lisbon population. São Miguel drivers present greater efficiency in electricity consumption per kilometer (25% more efficient) than the Lisbon sample. Finally, the impacts of using alternative vehicles were quantified, concluding that the alternative technologies would reduce the Well-to-Wheel (WTW) energy consumption per kilometer between 37% and 68%.